


A Second Chance

by GreenBird (lovestryker)



Series: A Second Chance [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Derogatory Language, M/M, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-18
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 22:19:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1202623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovestryker/pseuds/GreenBird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the SPN kink meme prompt: Werewolves aren't necessarily out and about parts of society (though they can be) but there are scattered packs. Packs are very tight-knit. If a member somehow survives the rest of his/her pack being decimated, it nearly always ends one of two ways: the survivor goes mad with grief over the loss of their entire family or they die of heartbreak - sinking into misery and pining, they get sicker and weaker until they succumb.</p><p>Jared's pack has been wiped out. Jensen stumbles across him and his heart breaks for Jared, a powerful werewolf reduced to such misery and pain. Jensen (a powerful werewolf in his own right, and maybe not so good with the heart-to-heart stuff) tries to show Jared that even though he's lost the ones he loved, there's still love to be found elsewhere - a lover, a friend, a new pack. But when the "danger" comes back to finish the job - and try to take Jensen's pack down too - Jensen does what he has to do to protect the ones he cares about. (A few new scars would be awesome, I sure do love scars, but please don't kill him. *grin*)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Pairing: Jared/Jensen  
Rating: NC-17  
Word Count: 17,590  
Warnings: violence, gore, mentions of non-con/abuse/derogatory language, kidnapping (please let me know if you feel I've missed anything)  
Not Beta'd  
From the SPN kink meme prompt: Werewolves aren't necessarily out and about parts of society (though they can be) but there are scattered packs. Packs are very tight-knit. If a member somehow survives the rest of his/her pack being decimated, it nearly always ends one of two ways: the survivor goes mad with grief over the loss of their entire family or they die of heartbreak - sinking into misery and pining, they get sicker and weaker until they succumb.

Jared's pack has been wiped out. Jensen stumbles across him and his heart breaks for Jared, a powerful werewolf reduced to such misery and pain. Jensen (a powerful werewolf in his own right, and maybe not so good with the heart-to-heart stuff) tries to show Jared that even though he's lost the ones he loved, there's still love to be found elsewhere - a lover, a friend, a new pack. But when the "danger" comes back to finish the job - and try to take Jensen's pack down too - Jensen does what he has to do to protect the ones he cares about. (A few new scars would be awesome, I sure do love scars, but please don't kill him. *grin*) I love BAMF!Jensen and I don't think we see quite enough of him - the h/c can be Jensen tending to Jared when he finds him, or Jared tending Jensen's wounds when it's all done, or hell let's have them both. *smiles widely* top!Jensen only please.  


  
  


It had been three months since the attack that had wiped out Jared’s pack, three months that felt like more than thirty years.  Three months of grief, loneliness, and a guilt so strong that it often brought Jared to his knees.

Logically Jared knew that the guilt was unwarranted.  He’d driven one of his pack’s three trucks to the closest human town to run an errand for his pack’s alpha.  Jared always volunteered for any job that would require going in to town; he found humans and weres who lived amount humans to be fascinating.  He’d completed his task and then wandered around a little, taking in the sights and sounds, and before he knew it over four hours had passed.  He’d driven back home to find everything, everyone, he’d known and loved dead and destroyed.

The scent of blood and death had stung Jared’s nose, as had the strong smell of ‘other.’  He’d stumbled from the cab of the truck, crying, begging to find someone alive, but no one had survived.  His pack had been small, only 43 members, and they’d been caught unaware.  The bodies of his loved ones, torn and bloodied, seemed to be everywhere he looked.  All of the public buildings had been ransacked, and Jared realized that it had to have been a large, powerful pack to have caused such destruction in the time he’d been gone.

He lay down next to his sister’s lifeless body and prayed that they’d come back to finish the job.  He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, hours, days, it didn’t matter.  Finally, he forced himself up and went about the arduous task of burying his pack.  With each shovel full of Earth, with each lifeless body he carefully lowed, his anger burned brighter.  It took him several days to complete his task, and when he was done, he shifted to his wolf form and tore through his territory, pursing the scent of those who had taken everything from him.

His pack’s land wasn’t huge compared to that of other packs, but it still covered miles and miles of land.  Jared’s pack had been peaceful; they’d kept to themselves, but had friendly relationships with their neighboring packs, and could always be counted on to offer assistance in just about any situation.  Jared couldn’t understand who would want to hurt them; it didn’t make any sense. 

He ran and ran and ran some more, until he reached the western edge of their land.  The scent stopped at the road that marked the edge, and Jared realized that they must have had vehicles waiting to take them away.  Jared slowly plodded back into the tree line, dropping down under a large pine, his anger draining from him along with his energy.

He was all alone.  A beta who could hunt game, but who was better at healing and teaching the pack’s pups about their way of life.  Jared was tall and strong, and if you didn’t know him, he could be very intimidating, but underneath he was kind and gentle.  Those who had attacked his pack were obviously many, and very strong.  Jared knew that he was no match for them.  He stayed curled up under the tree until well after sundown, when it started to rain.  He’d drug himself home, to the small two room cabin that he’d built with his father, and collapsed on his bed. 

Now, three months later, and Jared knew that the end of his suffering was finally near.  Weres were pack animals, and they couldn’t live on their own.  Jared was honestly surprised that he’d made it as long as he had.  He hadn’t left his small village.  He hunted when he had to, and spent some time making repairs to buildings and homes.  He knew it wasn’t necessary, but he had to have something to occupy his time.  He could have gone to one of their allies and been taken in, but Jared had chosen to stay where he was.  He’d half hoped that whomever had killed his family would come back and finish the job.   Either way, he knew he was dead, and he welcomed the end. 

2.

Jensen sat to the left of his father, his pack’s Alpha, and across from his brother at the elder’s table in the meeting hall of his pack’s municipal building.  They were all somber, all on edge.

“We have reports of another slaughtered pack,” said Jeff.  As Jensen’s father had gotten older, he turned more and more things over to his eldest, Josh, who would become Alpha when Alan retired.  Jensen had sometimes thought that he should feel jealous that he wouldn’t be the leader, but he really didn’t.  He knew that the Alpha was expected to produce offspring, including an heir, and Jensen would do so if he had to, but he was more inclined to mate with a man rather than a woman.  His brother was already mated and had two pups of his own, and Jensen was happy with his role as advisor and uncle.

“We haven’t yet confirmed it,” Jeff continued, “but by all accounts there are no survivors.  We still don’t know who is behind these attacks, or what their end game is, but we will find out.  This is the third small pack to be eliminated-“

“And I won’t tolerate a fourth,” Alan interrupted.  “Jensen, I want you to take Steve and Chris and check the site of the last attack.  See what you can find.  The land is two days away by car, and I want you on the way within the hour.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Jensen agreed.  He took the folder of information his brother handed him and excused himself to get started.  He pulled his phone from his pocket and called Steve, explaining what was going on and telling him to get Chris and meet him at his house as quickly as possible. 

Chris and Steve were Jensen’s closest friends.  They’d grown up together, and still remained as close as ever.  Jensen’s pack was large, one of the largest and most powerful in the east.  They’d expanded their pack’s land to include a small human town.  There had been a few bumps, a few weres and humans alike, who had thought that the two species shouldn’t live in such close proximity, but overall things had worked out well.  Steve was a mated alpha who was the head of the pack’s security team, and the were liaison with the human police department.  Chris was an unmated beta who owned and operated the most popular were/human bar and grille in the town.

The three piled into Jensen’s SUV and headed out.  Jensen explained what had happened as he drove, and they drifted off into silence, each trying to imagine what it would be like if their pack was attacked, and hoping that they’d find answers before anyone else had to go through such a horrific event.

3.

Jensen, Steve, and Chris parked on the edge of the small pack village and cautiously exited the SUV.  They’d expected the stench of death to be overwhelming, even if the attack had occurred weeks prior.  They saw no bodies, and scavengers would have left something behind.  They approached the small town square and noticed mound upon mound of semi-fresh Earth.  Graves.  Someone had buried the dead.  There were also signs of recent construction.  They stayed close together, guns drawn since they weren’t sure if they were tracking humans or weres.  It soon became evident that there was no present danger, and they were left with more questions than when they’d arrived.

“Let’s split up,” Steve suggested.  “This place is deserted and kind of creepy.  We’ll find out what we can and get the hell out of here.”

The three started methodically searching each building, looking for anything that could help them identify who was behind the horrifying attack.  After about fifteen minutes a howl from Chris broke the silence, calling Jensen and Steve to him.

Weres mated for life, and chose their partners much like their human counterparts.  Unlike humans though, once the mates consummated their union, it was rarely broken except by death, and the bond grew stronger and stronger over time.  There were a few weres whose mates were chosen differently.  For them, it was an almost instantaneous bond.  The alpha would be the first to recognize the scent of their beta.  Some betas would also instantly recognize their alpha, but some betas took longer, from days to weeks, and in some cases, even months.  When that happened the alpha typically stayed close, waiting for the beta to ‘catch up.’  The bond between these pairs was so strong that it was said that it followed them into the after-life.

Jensen and Steve arrived at a small cabin at the same time, and while Steve rushed inside, Jensen was frozen in place just outside the door.  Chris was kneeling next to a prone figure, cradling its head in his lap.  He looked up at Steve, and whispered, “He’s alive.”

The quiet words jolted Jensen from his daze, and he charged into the room, baring his teeth and snarling, “mine,” at Chris.

4.

Chris looked at Jensen in surprise, but after seeing the fierce expression on his face, he quickly lowered the man’s head to the floor and scooted away, hands raised in submission.

Jensen took his place in a flash, cradling the man to his chest and running a hand through the long, tangled mess of chestnut hair on his head.  Only the faint beating of the man’s heart let Jensen know that his mate was alive.

“Get me some water,” he snapped.

He shifted the man so that he could see his face, and what he saw made him grimace.  It was impossible to tell how old he was, though Jensen thought he was probably a few years younger than himself.  His face was gaunt, his lips chapped, and purple-black circles made him look almost like he had two black eyes.  His clothes were torn and covered in dirt, his hands blistered and bruised, and it was obvious that it had been at least a few days since he’d eaten or bathed. 

Steve handed Jensen a bottle of water he’d gotten from the cabin’s small kitchen, and Jensen slowly poured a small bit into the man’s mouth, coaxing him to swallow.  He sighed in relief when he did.  After a few mouthfuls, the man’s eyes fluttered, and he coughed, then weakly struggled to get away.

“Just finish me off, please,” he whispered, his voice as broken as the rest of him.

The anguish Jensen heard, the pleading tone of the words tore his heart in two.  “We’re not here to hurt you, we’re here to take you home.”

The man turned hazel eyes to him, trying to focus.  “I have no home,” he whispered before once again slipping into unconsciousness.

5.

The ride back to the Ackles’ pack land had been quiet.  Steve drove, Chris was in the passenger seat, and Jensen sat in the back with Jared’s head in his lap.  Once they’d settled in and gotten on the road, Jensen had tried to apologize to Chris.

Chris just laughed, “don’t worry about it, man.  I’ve put up with a lot worse shit for a lot stupider reasons from you than this.”

Jensen smiled ruefully.  He was still stunned.  It would have been surprising enough to find someone alive in the village, but to find someone and have it be Jensen’s mate?  That was a lot to take in. 

They drove straight through, Chris and Steve alternating driving.  Jensen spent his time studying his mate, trying to comfort him when he’d wake (which wasn’t often), and speaking on the phone with his dad and the pack’s healer, Samantha Smith.

Chris pulled right up to the doors of Sam’s clinic, and Jensen carefully carried his mate inside.  Jensen refused to leave his side, but she did kick Chris and Steve out, sending Steve to his mate, and Chris to summon either Alan or Jeff.

Sam was about half way through her exam when both Alan and Jeff arrived.  Despite his reluctance, Jensen stepped into the small waiting area to speak with his family.  He explained what they’d found at the village, or more accurately what they hadn’t found.  The only real piece of evidence they had was lying unconscious in the next room.

Sam stepped into the waiting area.

“How Is he?  Can I see him?” Jensen asked apprehensively.

“He’s dehydrated and malnourished.  I’ve started him on an IV of a mixture of things that should help with both of those.  Other than that, it’s difficult to say.  Based on my physical findings I’d say that he’s shutting down due to the loss of his pack.  If that’s the case, there may not be much that I can do for him.”

Jensen swayed a little on his feet, and Jeff reached out to steady him.  Jensen didn’t even know the guy’s name, and he already knew that he’d do whatever it took to save him.  Without waiting for an answer to his second question, he returned to his mate’s side.

6.

Jared blinked his eyes open.  They were dry and scratchy, much like his throat.  He took in the room around him: blank white walls, a t.v. mounted from the ceiling, soft sunlight spilling through the blinds, and a man obviously fast asleep, hunched over in an uncomfortable looking plastic chair.  Jared had an IV in one hand, and a blood pressure cuff wrapped around the bicep of his other arm.  He tried to sit up a little, looking around for something to drink.  His movement drew the attention of the man next to him.

“You’re awake!” he said with a grin.  His clothes were rumpled and his hair was a mess, but he was the most gorgeous person Jared had ever seen. 

“Water?” Jared croaked, and the man quickly left the room, returning in seconds with a glass of ice water.  Jared took a few small sips before asking where he was.

“You’re in our healer’s clinic.  She said that you’re dehydrated and malnourished, which is why you have an IV.”  The man looked at him expectantly, like he was waiting for Jared to do or say…something.  When Jared just looked at him blankly, Jensen looked a little disappointed, but went on, “I’m Jensen Ackles; my father is Alpha of our pack.  Can you tell me your name?”

“Jared.  Jared Padalecki.  Why…how did you find me?”

“We had heard that your pack had been attacked.  It was the third attack that we know of, and my father doesn’t want there to be a fourth.  My friends, Chris and Steve, and I were sent to your territory to see if we could figure out what had happened.  While we were looking around, we found you.”

“You should have just left me,” Jared whispered.

“No!” said Jensen as he reached out and took Jared’s hand in his.  “There was no way I…we could leave you behind.”

Jared was surprised at this stranger’s vehemence, and even more so when he took his hand.  What was even more shocking was the strange sense of peace that Jared felt when Jensen touched him.  It certainly didn’t negate the grief and guilt that still consumed him, but it was a welcome, small respite, and he wondered why as he drifted back to sleep.

7.

The next time Jared woke up he was alone.  He had no idea how much time had passed, but it was dark outside, and everything was quiet.  He thought about the man from earlier, Jensen, and how for a moment he’d felt peace.  There was something strange about that, but it was hard to focus; his mind was a confusing swirl of memories, questions, and despair.  He hadn’t been lying when he’d said that Jensen should have left him; he didn’t want to live without his pack.

He slowly sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, and taking deep breaths until the room stopped spinning.  He was wearing a thin pair of scrubs, and when he went to stand, the tile was cold on his bare feet.  The blood pressure cuff was no longer on his arm, but the IV was still in, and he removed it as carefully as he could, pressing on the back of his hand to stop the sluggish bleeding. 

He tried to remember where the Ackles’ pack land was located.  He thought that it was southwest of his home, but he wasn’t sure.  He did know that their land was vast, far larger than his pack’s.  He weighed his options. It would be best if he could find a vehicle and make his escape that way, but he had no idea how to hotwire a car, and he wasn’t sure that he’d actually be able to drive anyway; he could try to find someone and convince them to give him a ride to at least the edge of the territory, but he doubted anyone would be willing to do that.  That left him with leaving on foot and hoping for the best. 

It would be so much easier to leave that way if he could shift and go on four feet instead of two, but it had been several days before he’d been found since he’d been able to shift.  He’d never had that happen to him before, and that was why he knew that the end was so near.  Weres who were left alone eventually lost the ability to shift, and soon after died.  He knew that without the IV and medical care, he’d soon be as badly off as he was before and then his torment could end.  He just had to get out of there.

He slowly shuffled his way to the door and looked out.  The hallway was empty and mostly dark, and it was a lot shorter than he’d imagined.  He’d thought he was in some type of hospital, but it was more like an overly large doctor’s office.  He carefully made his way to the door, trying to stay alert and not give himself away, and stepped out onto a deserted sidewalk.

He looked around, surprised to find that he was in what was obviously a small town.  He knew that some weres mixed like this with humans, but he’d never experienced it himself.  He walked to the end of the block, staying close the buildings and out of the light, and looked down the narrow alley, relieved to see a tree line.

The trees were close to the back of the block the clinic was in, and it wasn’t too long before Jared reached them.  It was cold out, and Jared shivered.  He wasn’t used to feeling cold and he found that he didn’t much care for it.  Pine needles and twigs poked into the bottom of his feet, and frost covered grass crunched underneath as he walked.  The sky was cloudy, giving him little light to see and making it impossible to tell what time it was.  He knew that he didn’t have the strength to go far; he just hoped that he’d make it far enough that he’d be able to reach his end before anyone found him.

8.

Jensen hadn’t wanted to leave Jared’s side, and he wouldn’t have either, had his father not pulled rank and ordered him home to shower and sleep.  He’s sat next to Jared’s bed for nearly four days before Jared woke, and he was going on day six when he’d been ordered out.

He tried to argue that he’d been taking breaks to eat (when Sam forced him), but his father told him in no uncertain terms that he smelled like a stray dog, and that he’d be no good to Jared if he didn’t take care of himself. 

Jensen had grudgingly gone home and eaten and showered, then decided that he’d lay down just for an hour or so.  The shrill ring of his phone woke him, and he was surprised to find that he’d slept for nearly twelve hours, and that it was 8:00 a.m.  He had to admit that he did feel better.

“’lo?” he rasped out, squinting against the weak sunlight that filtered in through his blinds.

“Jensen, it’s Sam.  I need you to get to the clinic as soon as you can.”  The panic in Sam’s voice woke Jensen all the way up.

“What’s going on?  Is Jared okay?” he asked as he jumped out of bed, reaching for his jeans.

“I don’t know; he’s gone.”

Jensen’s mind was racing with ‘what if’ scenarios and he made it the two miles from his house to the clinic in record time.  Steve and Jeff were inside with Sam, and she quickly told them what she knew, which wasn’t much.

“I checked on him right before I turned in for the night, which was around midnight, and he was sound asleep, and everything was normal.  I came down to check on him and open the clinic for the day about 7:30 and found him gone.  There’s no sign of a struggle, and I searched the entire clinic.  He’s not here.”

Jensen started to head for the door, intent on finding his mate. 

“Jensen, hold on!  We don’t know what happened, what or who might be out there, you can’t just-“

Jensen growled, cutting Steve off.  “Sam, you said Jared can’t shift, right?”

Sam nodded. 

“It’s just over forty degrees out there.  He’s probably just wearing the scrubs he had on, and he’s so weak that he can’t shift.  There’s no scent in here that doesn’t belong, and that leads me to believe that he left on his own.  I’m going to follow his scent and bring him back.  You can come with me, or you can stand around here and make a plan.”

“Damnit,” Steve sighed.  “Jeff, do you mind shifting and going with Jensen?  I’ll follow you like this.”

Steve and Jeff went after Jensen, who was already turning the corner at the end of the block.  Once they reached the trees, Jensen and Jeff shifted and took off, Steve stuffed their clothes in a sack he kept attached to his belt, with his gun drawn, doing his best to keep up.  

Jensen ran with his nose to the ground, Jared’s weak scent urging him on.  He could hear Jeff, and further back Steve, following him, and he was glad they were there, because he was afraid of what he might find.  The thought of Jared in his human form out here, cold and alone, spurred him to move faster.

They’d gone just over a mile when Jensen stumbled over Jared’s prone form.  He was laying face down, his head turned to one side, one arm caught under his body.  His lips were blue, and his back was barely rising with his breathing.  Jensen prodded him with his nose, whining and then barking, but Jared was unresponsive. 

Jensen shifted and dropped to his knees, pulling Jared to his body, and cradling him in his arms.  “Come on, baby, wake up for me, please,” he pleaded, but Jared’s eyelids didn’t even flicker.  Jeff caught up with him and let out a howl to tell Steve where they were.  He then slowly approached Jensen and Jared, not wanting to upset Jensen by getting to close to his mate, but knowing that Jared could use the extra body heat he could provide.  Jensen seemed to understand, and he let Jeff press against Jared until Steve appeared.

He quickly took his clothes from Steve and dressed Jared as quickly as possible, before scooping him up and heading back to Sam’s clinic.  Jeff raced ahead of him.  He would be able to get to Sam more quickly, and could tell her what was going on so she could start to prepare.  Jensen just hoped that they wouldn’t be too late.

9.

 Sam stripped Jared down and covered him with heated blankets, then started a new IV with warm saline.  She did a quick but thorough exam and found that his temperature was low but not dangerously so, and that while he’d been in the cold and snow with basically no protection, he didn’t have frostbite.  She assured a very worried Jensen that Jared had been very lucky and there would be no permanent damage.

It was only a few hours before Jared’s temperature was back to normal and he started to wake up. 

“Jared?”

Jared looked around, his expression turning disappointed when he realized where he was.  “Why did you bring me back?”

Jensen looked at him in disbelief, “Why did you run away?  You could have died, Jared!”

Jared turned away and stared blankly at the wall.  “Why can’t you get it?  That’s what I want.”

“You don’t mean that,” Jensen whispered.

“Yes.  Yes, I do.  I’m alone Jensen, completely alone.  My pack, all my family and friends, they’re all gone,” his voice hitched as he tried to hold back a sob.  “You know as well as I do that a were can’t live without his pack, and when you first found me, I was so close to going to join them.  Why can’t you just leave me alone and let me die?”

Jensen’s heart broke, but at the same time he was filled with anger and fierce determination.  He grabbed Jared’s chin gently but firmly, and stared into his beta’s eyes.  Jared looked surprised at first, and then quickly lowered his eyes in submission.

“Look at me, Jared.”  Jared once again met his eyes.  “You are not going to die; I won’t let you.  You’re not alone.  You have me and my pack, and a home here.  I know it’s not the same, and I know it will be a difficult transition, but that’s just how it’s going to be.”

Jared stared at Jensen for a few seconds before turning his head away once again.  “Why do you care?  Just because you found me, that doesn’t mean that you’re responsible for me.  If you’re doing this out of some twisted sense of obligation-“

Jensen growled low in his throat, and Jared flinched back a little.  “Why am I doing this?  Because you’re my m…because it’s the right thing to do.  I don’t feel obligated.  I want to help you; I like you, Jared.”

Jared scoffed.  “You like me?  You don’t even know me.”

Jensen ran his hands through his hair in frustration.  He had decided to keep the fact that Jared was his mate from Jared.  There were only a handful of pack members who knew, and they’d reluctantly agreed to keep his secret.  Sam had explained that Jared was so weak both physically and emotionally that he wouldn’t be able to feel the bond until he healed.  She had told Jensen that telling Jared wouldn’t hurt him, but that he wouldn’t necessarily believe him, either.  Steve and Jeff had argued that it would be much simpler to get Jared to stay with their pack if he knew he was bonded to the Alpha’s son, but Jensen didn’t want to use that bond against Jared’s will.  He wanted Jared to feel the same way he did, and he wanted it to come naturally.  Even though he’d mostly spent the time he’d known Jared watching him sleep, the love and protectiveness he felt toward him was more intense than anything he’d ever experienced.

“I know enough.  I know that you’re kind and compassionate.  I know that you’re strong.  I can’t believe that you cared for your pack the way you did, and that you survived on your own for so long.  That tells me so much about you, Jared.”

Just then Sam came in and checked Jared’s vitals.  “You’re looking good, Jared.  As long as you continue on a high protein diet until you’re feeling more like yourself, I don’t see any reason that you need to stay here.”

Jared gave a humorless laugh, “Yeah, I’ll just head back home, non problem.”

Sam looked apologetic, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“No, I know,” Jared said with a sigh.  “I don’t mean to be rude; I just really don’t know where I’m going to go.”

“That’s easy,” Jensen interjected.  “You’re coming home with me.


	2. A Second Chance 2/4

10.

Jensen lived in a two storey home just a few miles outside of town.  It had a wide, covered front porch, an open plan main floor, and three bedrooms upstairs.  It was really way more than he needed, but he had loved the house since he was a pup, and when it went up for sale, he knew he had to have it.  He was so nervous about Jared seeing it; he wanted his mate to love it as much as he did.

Jensen parked in front of the garage, and cut a glance at Jared.  Jensen had been surprised that Jared hadn’t put up a fuss about going home with him, but he realized that Jared probably felt like he didn’t have a choice.  Jared sat staring at the house, making no move to get out of the SUV. 

“So, this is my house,” Jensen said unnecessarily. 

Jared laughed, “Yeah, I figured.  Should we go inside?”

Jensen told Jared how he’d loved the house since he was little, and that at least got a smile out of him.  He knew Jared was tired, so he gave a quick tour of the main level, and then showed Jared to the guest room he’d be staying in. 

The room was furnished in deep greens and browns, with a large bed and a wall of windows overlooking the forest.  A t.v. was mounted on the wall over the dresser, and a variety of books and magazines were on the bedside table.

“I uh, had my mom pick up a few things for you,” Jensen admitted, feeling uncharacteristically shy.

“You did?”

“There’s clothes in the dresser and closet.  Basics, t-shirts, jeans, that sort of thing.  She guessed on the sizes, so if something doesn’t fit, just let me know and we’ll exchange it.  The bathroom is at the end of the hall.  She took care of that, too.  Everything in there, toothbrush, shampoo, that sort of thing, is new and for you, but again, if you want something different just let me know.”

“I don’t know what to say.  Thank you.”  Jared sat on the edge of the bed, trying to take it all in. 

“Why don’t you rest for a bit?  I’ll make something for dinner, and come and get you when it’s ready.”

Jared nodded, and lay down.  Jensen closed the door softly behind him.  Jared stared at the ceiling, trying to get his thoughts in order.  He was so confused, and it was hard to think clearly.  He was still so overcome with grief and loneliness.  He hurt all over, and he couldn’t seem to get warm, and he was alarmed at the fact that he wasn’t alarmed that he couldn’t shift. 

Sam had explained that all of that was normal given what he’d experienced.  She said that as he regained his strength and started to bond with his new pack, that he’d begin to get better both physically and emotionally. 

His new pack.  Jared didn’t want a new pack, but it seemed as though he didn’t have a choice.  He was too weak to leave, and Jensen seemed to have made it his mission to get Jared to accept a place in the Ackles pack.  Jared found Jensen’s insistence and attention confusing, but comforting at the same time.  He couldn’t figure out why Jensen was so interested in him, and he knew that he was missing something obvious, but he just couldn’t concentrate long enough to figure it out.  He drifted off to sleep trying to make sense of it all.

11.

Jared slept through the majority of the first few days at Jensen’s.  Jensen made sure to wake him up to drink the protein shakes that Sam had suggested.  After the fourth day of Jared only leaving his bedroom to use the bathroom, Jensen knew that he had to do something, or Jared wasn’t going to get better.

Jensen knocked softly, and then entered Jared’s room.  Jared was laying on the bed, staring out the window; he didn’t acknowledge Jensen at all.

“Jared?”  No response.  “Jared, look at me, please.”

Jared slowly rolled his head toward Jensen.

“Come eat dinner with me.”

“I’m not hungry,” Jared whispered.

Jensen sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.  “Jared, please.  Just one meal.”

Jared looked at Jensen, and slowly sat up.  “Okay.”  He wasn’t sure why he agreed; it was just something in Jensen’s expression.  He looked so earnest, so sincere, and something in Jared just responded.  Jensen looked surprised, and quickly stood so that Jared could get up.

Jared was quiet, but Jensen was encouraged by the fact that he was eating.  Jensen chattered away, trying to fill the silence.  He told Jared about Christ and Steve, about the work he did as an advisor for the pack.  Jared occasionally nodded, but didn’t offer any contribution until Jensen stared to talk about his family. 

“My brother, Jeff, has two pups, Jace and Jesse.  They’re about to turn four.  His wife, Maggie, is pregnant and due in a few months.”

Jared actually looked up as Jensen started talking about his nephews.  “Do you get to see them very often?”

Jensen tried to hide his surprise and elation that Jared had asked him a question; he didn’t want to make him self-conscious.  “Yes, almost every day for at least a few minutes.  Sometimes I keep them overnight on the weekend.  Try to give Jeff and Maggie a break, though I often have to fight my mother to get them.  Do you like pups?”

“Yes.  I’m a teacher.  Or, I was I guess.”

Jensen didn’t want the past to sneak in and ruin the moment.  “Tell me about it.  What did you teach?”

Jared was quiet for a moment, and Jensen was afraid that he wasn’t going to respond.  “Our pack was small, and we only had a handful of pups at any given time.  I split my time between teaching them history and customs, helping our healer, and running errands.  My favorite by far was teaching, but I also enjoyed running errands when it meant I had to go to the human town.  That’s why…that’s why I wasn’t there,” Jared broke off with a sob. 

Jensen was out of his chair and at Jared’s side in an instant.  “Hey, it’s okay, come on.”  He got Jared to the couch, and gently pulled him into his arms.  Jared resisted for a moment, but then relaxed into Jensen.  Jensen hated that Jared was upset, and he felt guilty that he was enjoying having his mate in his arms because of it.  They fell asleep, and when Jensen woke in the morning, Jared was back in his bedroom. 

Jensen tried to get him to come out for breakfast, but Jared just ignored him.  Jensen didn’t want to leave Jared alone, but he needed to see his brother; he had an idea.

12.

Jensen really, really hoped that his plan would work.  It was Friday afternoon, and Jeff had been more than happy to turn the twins over to Jensen for the night.  The boys were chattering non-stop as Jensen herded them into the house and then into the kitchen.  He’d promised them a snack, and they clambered up onto the bar stools at the island while he got out juice and pretzels.  No one would ever accuse the twins of being quiet, and Jensen did nothing to get them to lower their volume. 

Jared had been sitting in his bedroom staring at nothing when he heard Jensen come home.  Jensen was usually quiet when he came home, so the voices and clatter immediately got Jared’s attention.  The voices didn’t die down, and Jared’s curiosity got the best of him.  He walked down stairs and stopped in the kitchen doorway.  Jensen was leaning against the island across from two little boys, his back to Jared.  The boys each had light brown hair, but one had bright green eyes like Jensen, and the other had grayish-blue eyes, and Jared could tell after just a minute that their mannerisms were different as well.

The boys both noticed Jared at the same time and immediately went silent.  Jensen turned around and smiled at Jared.  “I’m sorry, did we wake you?” he asked, though he didn’t really seem all that apologetic.

“No, I was awake.  Who are your friends?”

Jensen turned and pointed to the boy with the green eyes, “This is Jesse,” and then pointed to the blue eyed boy, “and this is Jace.  Boys, this is my friend, Jared.”

“Hi boys, it’s nice to meet you.”

Jace ducked his head, glancing at his brother, obviously waiting for him to take the lead.  Jesse didn’t share in his brother’s shyness.  “Woah.  You are the tallest person I’ve ever seen.”

That startled a laugh out of Jared, the first real laugh that Jensen had heard, but it was the only the first of many that night.  Things went even better than Jensen had hoped.  Jesse took to Jared right off, and Jace soon followed.  They ordered pizza and watched a movie, and Jensen was pleased to notice that Jared absentmindedly ate two slices, the boys stories and questions keeping him distracted.  After dinner the boys instead on watching Finding Nemo, and after Jared helped them build a pillow fort.  It wasn’t long after that that both boys were fast asleep, and Jared looked like he wasn’t far behind.

 Jared helped Jensen get them tucked into the third bedroom upstairs.  Jared hadn’t looked in that bedroom before, and after watching Jensen with his nephews all evening, he wasn’t all that astonished to find that it was set up for the boys.  Twin beds, one with Lego sheets and the other with sports balls, a bookshelf full of kids books, and a large basket full of toys in the corner. 

Jared and Jensen said good night in the hallway, and for the first time in months, Jared went to sleep with a smile on his face.

+++

Light was just starting to peek through Jared’s bedroom window when two puppies nosed open his door and bounded on the bed, yapping and nipping at him.  He was startled awake, but quickly got with the program, alternately wrestling and scratching bellies and behind ears.

It didn’t take long for a sleepy Jensen to stumble in the room to see what all the commotion was about.  He laughed when he saw the boys attempting to get the best of Jared.  He let it go on for a few minutes before shooing the boys back to their room to change and get dressed.

The boys wound up staying for most of the weekend, and Jensen was pleased that Jared was out of his room more than he was in it, and that while it wasn’t much, he was actually eating.  Jeff picked the boys up late Sunday afternoon, and Jensen could tell that Jared was exhausted.  He sent him up to bed, feeling more hopeful than he had since he’d first met him.

13.

Jared seemed to come out of his shell a bit after that.  He joined Jensen for dinner most evenings, and he even started to volunteer at the library a few hours a week.  He still tired very easily, and would lose his train of thought and be unable to focus often.  He was also very forgetful, but he was slowly getting better.

Jensen was also the only person with whom Jared would totally relax.  He was always on guard when others were around, and Jensen knew that was detrimental to his healing, so he made sure that Jared’s day started and ended with just the two of them.  It was good for Jensen as well, as he wanted all of the alone time he could get with his mate.

Jared still hadn’t realized who Jensen was to him, but Jensen felt like maybe things were moving in that direction.  Jared often sought out Jensen’s touch, and he seemed to take comfort in it.  He did it unconsciously, and when he’d realize that he was snuggled up to Jensen on the couch, or tucked into his side on the back deck, he’d freeze up with surprise, but he rarely moved away.

It was a Saturday morning, almost a month from when Jesse and Jace had first met Jared, and it was the day of their fourth birthday party.  The boys had spent the night so that Jeff and his wife could take care of all the last minute details, and the boys were so excited they couldn’t sit still.  Jensen had tried everything he could to entertain them, but nothing worked.  Finally, he gave Jared an apologetic look and suggested to the boys that they shift and go for a run with him.  It was one of their favorite things to do with their uncle, and a sure-fire way to burn off some of their excess energy.

“Yes!” Jesse whooped as he raced up the stairs to get out of his clothes.

Jace started to follow him, but turned back before he got to the stairs, “Can Uncle Jared come, too?”

The boys had started calling Jared uncle all on their own, and while they hadn’t really talked about it, both Jared and Jensen loved it.  “I’m sorry buddy, but Uncle Jared-“

“Um, actually, I think I can,” Jared interrupted.

Jensen looked at him in surprise.  “Really?”

“Well, I’m not positive, but I think so.  I’ll at least give it a try.”

Ten minutes later two adult wolves and two pups took off through the woods behind Jensen’s house, and in his entire life, Jensen had never been happier.

14.

Jared felt better than he had in months.  Being able to shift again cleared his mind, and allowed him to let go of a little bit of the grief and despair he’d been holding on to.  It had also done one more very important thing: It made him realize that Jensen was his mate.

Jared felt a bit stupid about it.  All this time he knew he’d been missing something important, but his instincts had been practically non-existent and he just hadn’t made the connection.  They’d been running for a while when the boys decided they needed a break.  Jared had been watching Jensen play-fight with his nephews when it hit Jared.  It was such a momentous, overwhelming feeling that it had taken his breath away.  Jensen had looked up, his head cocked to one side, and Jared had just slightly shaken his head, and Jensen went back to playing.

Now, Jared was getting dressed for the party after showering, and he was about to face his mate for the first time as a human since he’d had his epiphany.  He didn’t want to tell Jensen that he’d finally figured it out right before the boys’ birthday party, and he hoped that he could keep it to himself until they got back home.

Home.  That was a second thought that took his breath away.  He wasn’t alone anymore.  He had a home, and a pack, and a mate.  He still felt a huge amount of grief, but for the first time since he’d returned from running errands that fateful day he also felt hope.

+++

The party was in full swing, and the boys were having a blast.  Jeff and Maggie’s backyard was full of kids and adults alike, and Jared had lost track of Jensen.  He was the most comfortable he’d been around other members of the pack since he’d arrived, and Jesse and Jace had taken advantage of his good mood and had roped him into playing with them and their friends.

After about a half an hour, Jared told them he needed a break, and went in search of a drink, and his mate.  He grabbed a bottle of water, and Maggie told him that she’d seen Jensen in the kitchen, so that was where he headed.  Jared stepped into the kitchen from the mud room, and froze. 

Jensen was leaning against the sink, his back to Jared.  A petite woman, with dark, curly hair was facing him, a delicate hand on his forearm.  She said something that made Jensen laugh, and Jared tried to tamp down the intense feeling of jealousy that overcame him.  She then reached up and brushed her fingers along Jensen’s jaw and that was it; Jared stalked over to Jensen, crowding up next to him.

The woman’s eyes went wide, and she took a step back.

“Jared?  Are you okay?” Jensen asked, looking worried.

Jared didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything.  Jensen was his, but he was also his alpha.  He wanted to push the woman away, make her realize that she couldn’t have what was his, but even more he wanted Jensen to do that, to claim him and show everyone that Jared belonged to him.

The woman quietly excused herself, but neither Jensen nor Jared noticed.  “Jared?” Jensen asked quietly, quickly realizing that something momentous was about to happen.  Jared shifted to stand in front of Jensen.  He met Jensen’s eyes, but then very deliberately lowered them, and tilted his head to the side, baring his neck.

Jensen took in a sharp breath, and then growled out, “Mine,” while taking Jared into his arms and lightly biting into his neck, careful not to break the skin, at least not yet.

“Yours,” Jared whispered, wrapping his arms around his mate.

15.

Jensen held onto Jared, barely able to believe what was happening.  He wanted to question Jared, to make sure that what was happening was what he thought was happening, but didn’t want to break the moment. He wasn’t given a choice when Jesse flew into the room, announced that it was time for cake and demanded their presence.  Jensen reluctantly let go of Jared, but was heartened when Jared gave him a shy smile.

Jensen had no idea that a birthday party could last so long.  There was a seemingly unending parade of gifts to be opened, and then cake and ice cream, and Jensen was about to crawl out of his skin.  Had it been anyone else’s birthday he would have skipped out, but he couldn’t do that to his nephews.  Jared kept his distance, but kept shooting him looks, and Jensen wasn’t sure how much more he could take. 

He stepped into the kitchen to get some water, and was quickly accosted by Jeff.  “Holy shit, Jensen, would you please, please just get the hell out of here?”

“What?”

“You and Jared man, just go home.  You both reek like sex, and I don’t want the kids to start asking questions.”

Jensen laughed, “Sorry man,” but he didn’t look sorry at all.  “I didn’t want to skip out on the boys, but we’ll take off before we corrupt the impressionable youth.”

He headed out to find Jared, his mate, with a huge smile on his face when Jeff stopped him, “Congratulations man, I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

+++

The ride back to Jensen’s place was quite, and the tension was palpable.  Jensen followed Jared into the house, and as soon as the door was closed, Jared turned around and pressed himself against Jensen, wrapping his arms around him, and breathing in his scent.

“Jared, wait,” Jensen choked out.  “We need to talk first.”

Jared immediately took a step back, “I’m sorry, I thought…” he said with dismay.

“No, no, I’m not, I just…let’s sit down for a minute.”

Jensen sat on the couch, and was disappointed to find that Jared didn’t sit next to him, but sat in the armchair instead.

“I just want to make sure that we’re on the same page.  I’ve known since the first moment I saw you, back at your cabin that you were my mate.  I don’t want you to feel pressured, or obligated, or anything like that.”

By the time Jensen finished, Jared was grinning.  “You’re sweet, Jensen Ackles.  I’ve waited my whole life to find my mate, and the only upsetting about this is that I didn’t realize it sooner.  Now can we please go to bed?”

That startled a laugh out of Jensen, “Yes, yes, please.  Oh, but you are going to have to apologize to Stephanie,” he said as he stood and started to lead the way upstairs.

“Who?”

“Stephanie, the woman I was talking to in the kitchen.  She’s Maggie’s sister, and is very happily mated.  We grew up together, and she’s like a sister to me.”

“Oh,” Jared said sheepishly, “Well, I didn’t like her touching you.”

“Yeah, I could tell.  I’m not complaining, trust me.”

By then they were both in Jensen’s bedroom, and they were grinning at each other like idiots.  Soon though, Jensen’s look shifted to a predatory one, and his eyes flashed.  In an instant, he had Jared in his arms and was kissing him like he couldn’t get enough.  Jared returned the kisses just as fervently. 

Jensen took a step back, and ran his hands down Jared’s sides and gripped the hem of his shirt, raising it up and over Jared’s head.  Jared was still too thin, but Jensen had never seen anyone who looked better.  He unbuttoned and unzipped Jared’s jeans, and then instructed him to take them off and get on the bed.

He watched hungrily as Jared did what he said.  Having Jared naked and spread out across his sheets was something that Jensen had been fantasizing about for weeks, but the reality was so much better.  He quickly undressed himself, pleased to see that Jared looked just as aroused as he himself felt.  He climbed on the bed and draped his body over Jared’s, slotting himself between Jared’s spread legs. 

He took Jared’s mouth in another hungry kiss, holding himself on one elbow while his other hand explored as much of Jared’s body as possible.  Jared’s  hands were all over him, from his hair, to his back, and Jensen had known that those big hands would feel amazing, and he’d been right.

“Jensen, please.”

“Please what, baby?  Tell me what you need.”

“I…I need you, inside me.  I need you to claim me so that everyone will know that I’m yours, please.”

“Fuck, Jared.  I’m trying to take this slow here.”

“There’ll…ugh yes,” Jared moaned as Jensen kissed and licked his way down his neck, “There’ll be plenty of time for slow later.”

Jensen growled, and levered himself up to reach into his nightstand for lube and a condom.  He dropped both on the pillow next to Jared’s head, but as he bent down to kiss Jared again, Jared grabbed the condom and threw it in the direction of the stand.

“I don’t want to use that.  I’ve never…I haven’t been with anyone,” he said, flushing a deep red at the admission.  “Unless you…”

“Shit Jared, you’re killing me here.  You’re telling me that you’re a virgin?”

Jared just nodded, his eyes averted.

Jensen groaned, “That is the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.  I’m…I’m not, but I’ve always used a condom, and I’ve been test-“

Jared cut him off with a kiss, “I trust you, Jensen.  I know that if it wasn’t safe, you wouldn’t do it.”

Jensen stared into his mate’s eyes, overwhelmed by the trust he saw there, “I’m going to make this so good for you,” he said as he grabbed the lube and coated his fingers.  He prepped Jared as quickly as he could, while still being gentle.  Jared was a writhing mess under him, begging and pleading with Jensen to claim him, and Jensen had never in his life seen anyone as sexy as his mate.

“Turn over; it’ll be easier the first time.” 

Jared didn’t even hesitate, trusting Jensen, his mate, his alpha, to know what was best, to take care of him.  Jensen thought he was lucky that that alone didn’t make him come.  He pushed into the tight heat of his mate, only stopping when he couldn’t go any farther.  He draped himself over Jared’s back, kissing his neck as he gave him time to adjust.

After a few seconds, Jared shifted his hips, and Jensen whispered, “I love you,” into his ear as he stared a steady rhythm.  It wasn’t long before Jared was meeting him thrust for thrust, moaning so loudly that Jensen was glad he didn’t have any close neighbors.

Too quickly Jensen felt the signs of his impending orgasm.  His thrusts increased and became erratic, and he gritted out, “Mine,” and started to come at the same time as he bit into the base of Jared’s neck, making a permanent claim on his mate. 

The bite sent Jared over the edge without a hand on him, and wave after wave of pleasure crashed over him until he couldn’t hold himself up and he collapsed on the bed.  Jensen shifted them so they were on their sides, and he held Jared in his arms until they were both breathing normally again.  He carefully pulled out and went to the bathroom to clean up, returning with a wet cloth and taking care of his mate.

Jared was almost asleep, and he automatically shifted back into Jensen’s embrace when he climbed back into the bed.  Jensen buried his nose in Jared’s hair, breathing in the scent of them.  It was the best thing he’d ever smelled, and it only got better when Jared whispered, “I love you too, alpha,” as he drifted off to sleep.

16.

The next few months were happy ones.  The bond between Jared and Jensen seemed to grow each day, and as a result Jared grew stronger both physically and emotionally.  He still had bad days, days when memories and grief made him ill, and sleepless nights caused by vivid nightmares, but those were lessening, and with Jensen by his side, they were a little easier to bear.  Jensen’s pack and his family officially accepted Jared without hesitation, and Jared even accepted a job as the local elementary school’s librarian.

There had been no other attacks that they were aware of, and there were no new leads on whoever had decimated Jared’s family.  Steve and Jeff were still following up every lead, but they all led to dead ends.  Jared hadn’t been able to provide any helpful information; whoever had attacked had been gone by the time Jared had returned home, and the only thing he had to go on was the scent they left behind, and that was something he couldn’t share.

Because the Ackles pack coexisted in a town with humans, it was a popular spot for weres to stop when they were passing through.  They could take care of a lot of their business, and they didn’t have to worry about what type of reception they’d receive.  Chris’ bar was known far and wide, and there was almost always one or two out-of-towners there enjoying a meal.  Jared and Jensen met there after work almost every Friday, and they were often joined by Steve and his mate, with Chris stopping by when there was a break at the bar.

They were sitting at their usual booth in the back corner, eating and laughing, sharing stories from their week, when Jared suddenly went tense and silent, the color draining from his face.

“Jared?  What’s wrong?” Jensen was immediately on edge.  It had been weeks since Jared had had a panic attack while they were out in public. 

Everyone at the table realized something was going on, and Steve automatically started scanning the crowd, looking for any signs of trouble.  Chris kept his eyes on Jensen, ready for whatever might be asked of him.

“Jared, baby, what is it?”

Jared looked up, and Jensen was taken aback by the raw terror in his mate’s eyes.  “They’re here,” he whispered.

“Who’s here?”

“Th-them.  I can smell them.  The ones who…who…I have to go, I can’t stay here,” Jared responded as he started to try to get Jensen to let him out of the booth.

Jensen’s eyes flashed, and he growled low in his throat when he realized that the ones responsible for almost killing his mate were in the bar.  “Jared,” Jensen snapped, needing to get Jared’s attention.  Jared’s eyes jumped to his, gaining a bit of focus.  “You need to sit here, back to the wall.  You don’t move until I say.  Do you understand?”  Jared nodded, pressing himself back, tying to appear smaller.

“Steve, you go to the front door and lock it down.  No one comes in or goes out until I say so.  Chris, you get your bouncers to cover the back door, and clear the bathrooms, then call Jeff and get him here.”  He turned to Steve’s mate and told her to stay with Jared.

The bar was crowded, but Jensen’s growl and the pheromones he was giving off had alerted the patrons to the fact that something serious was going down.  Jensen stood up at the end of the table, not willing to let Jared too far out of reach.  “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Jensen Ackles,” he started.  The crowed immediately went silent, “My father is Alpha of this pack, and it’s been brought to my attention that we have a security issue here.  Everyone needs to stay in their seats, or find a seat.  No one, human or were, is going anywhere until we sort this out.”

“I want any weres who aren’t a member of the Ackles pack to slowly stand up, and I want any humans who are from out of town to do the same.”

After a brief hesitation, a few people stood, and then a few more until there were twelve standing, eight weres, and four humans. 

“Okay, that’s good.  Everyone else just stay seated, and we’ll get this taken care of as quickly as we can.”

A loud knock sounded at the front door, and Jeff and three of Steve’s deputies entered.  Jeff made his way over to Jensen, who filled him in on what was going on.  After a brief discussion, Jensen slid back into the booth next to Jared. 

“Jared, I hate to ask you to do this, but I need you to help me out, okay?”

Jared nodded, but he didn’t look happy.

“Just stand up here next to me.  Jeff and I will be right here, and we won’t let anyone close enough to touch you, I promise.  We’ll have the people standing come over first, and you let me know if their scent is the one you remember, okay?”

Jared stared down at his hands, then took a deep breath and nodded again.  They stood, and one by one each of the twelve standing were brought over, asked for identification, and then dismissed.  Jared didn’t recognize the scent of any of them.  Jensen thanked them and apologized for the inconvenience, and they were then escorted outside.  That left only members of the Ackles pack, and humans who lived in town, about twenty five in all.  Jared looked around and noted that he at least recognized everyone who was still there.  He slowly walked through the bar, Jensen at his side, but the scent was gone. 

Jensen led Jared back over to their table while Jeff again apologized for the inconvenience and told everyone to go home. 

Jared felt like an idiot.  He’d disrupted everyone’s night, made Chris lose a fair amount of money, and it had all been for nothing.  He tried to apologize to Chris, but Chris just brushed him off, and told him not to worry about it. 

Jeff and Steve rejoined them at the table, and Chris brought over a pitcher of beer.

“Um, Mr. Ackles?” Colin was a high school kid who worked as a dishwasher on the weekends, and  Jensen had known him since he was a pup.

“Hey, Colin, what’s up?”

“Well, I uh, I think I saw something.”  That got the attention of everyone at the table, which had Colin’s cheeks going pink.  Jensen motioned for him to continue.  “I had to take some trash out, and as I was heading back in, this guy came flying out the back door.  He ran right into me, and knocked me on my as…butt.”

“Did you recognize him or his scent?”

Colin shook his head, “I got up and came inside, and that’s when Chris was locking up the back door.”

“Thanks Colin, you did well.  Finish cleaning up and head home, okay?  Deputy Mills will give you a ride home.”

After Colin left, everyone shared grim looks.  Jared’s nightmare wasn’t over.

+++

The phone on the nightstand rang, jarring Gordon Walker awake.  “What is it?” he growled into the receiver.

“Alpha, we have a problem.”  Gordon recognized the voice as one of his newer lieutenants, but he couldn’t remember the man’s name.  It didn’t much matter; they were all disposable, interchangeable. 

“This had better be good.”

“I was in Jefferson, the town where the Ackles pack lives?”

“I know what Jefferson is,” Gordon snapped.  “Get to the point.”

“Well, sir, I went to this bar to grab some dinner.  I was waiting for my order when I noticed one of Ackles’ sons.  He was sitting with this tall dude, his mate I think, when I overheard them talking about someone being there, in the bar.  The tall guy looked spooked, and that’s when I smelled it and high tailed it out the back door.”

Gordon sighed, “This had better be going somewhere.”

“Right, right, it is, sir.  The guy, I think that he was a member of that last pack we took care of.  I only got a quick sniff of scent, but it matched what I remembered.  Anyway, they locked the bar down, and they must have checked everyone there.   I waited until one of the out-of-towners came out, and pretended like I wanted to go in to eat, and got him to tell me what was going on.  The guy wasn’t really sure what the problem was, but he said that Ackles had his mate check the scent of everyone who wasn’t a part of their pack or who didn’t live in the town, but that they didn’t seem to find what they were looking for, and they let them all leave.”

“Get your ass back here and be in my office by eight tomorrow morning,” Gordon spit out before hanging up.  Interesting.  He’d thought they’d gotten every member of the last laughably weak pack they’d taken out, but maybe he’d been wrong.  That was an error that would have to be corrected.  He picked the phone back up and dialed.

“Michael?  This is Gordon.  I need you to get me all the information you can about one of Ackles sons.  I’m not sure which one it is, but whoever is mated to a tall guy.  Probably someone totally new to the pack.  We may just have a problem to take care of.”

17.

“Maybe I imagined it,” Jared said for at least the fifth time. 

Jensen pulled him closer, and ran his hand through his hair.  They were sitting on their couch the morning after the incident at the bar.  It had been a long, sleepless night for both of them, and Jensen was hoping he could get Jared to relax enough to take a nap.  “Jared, we’ve been over this.  I wish you had imagined it, but between what you scented, and what Colin saw, we know there was someone there.”

Jared sighed and picked absently at a loose thread on the collar of Jensen’s t-shirt.  “I know.  I just…I kept telling myself that I’d take any chance I had to find who did this to my pack, my family.  Now though, now there’s this tangible lead, and all I want is for it to go away.”

Jensen kissed the top of his head.  “I understand that, and I promise you Jared that I’ll keep you safe.  But we have to follow up on this so that no one else has to go through what you did.”

“You’re right, I know you’re right,” Jared was silent for a few minutes.  “I’m going to go lay down for a bit, okay?”

“I think that’s a good idea.  Jeff and Steve should be here soon, and I can fill you in on what they’ve found when you wake up.”

Jared headed upstairs, and Jensen put on a pot of coffee.  He stared out the kitchen window as he waited for it to brew.  He hoped that Jeff and Steve would have something for him; he never wanted to see that look of terror on his mate’s face again.  He was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on the kitchen door.

He let Jeff and Steve in, poured them all coffee, and sat with them at the table. 

Steve spoke first, “Is Jared okay?”

Jensen rubbed a hand over his face, “Yeah, he’ll be okay.  He didn’t get much sleep last night, so he’s lying down right now.”

“Doesn’t look like you got much yourself, pup,” Jeff said, trying to get even a small smile from his brother.

“Funny,” Jensen said, deadpan.  “Please tell me you found something.”

“I think that we did.  Steve and I went to visit Colin this morning.  We tried to get a description out of him, but didn’t get much.  It was dark, and it happened fast.  He said the guy was probably about six feet tall, slim build, short dark hair.”

“Not a lot to go on.”

“No, but he did give us something that could be crucial,” Steve said, reaching into his messenger bag to pull out a folder.  He opened it up and pulled out a sheet of paper that he slid in front of Jensen.  “Do you recognize this?”

Jensen studied the crest printed on the paper.  It was familiar, but then most packs had crests and they were all similar.  He shook his head, “Not enough to connect it to a pack.  What does it have to do with Colin?”

“He said that the guy who knocked him down at the bar dropped his cell phone and some change. He stopped long enough to grab the phone, but nothing else.  We figured it was a long shot, but we went to take a look around.  We found a few coins, and there was a pin of this crest on the ground with them.”

“So what you’re saying is that this is the crest of the pack we’re looking for?  That we’re actually looking for a pack?”

Jeff shook his head, “I wish it were that simple.  Yes, that’s what this is all pointing toward, but it’s circumstantial.”

Jensen looked from Jeff to Steve and back again.  “It’s bad, isn’t it?  Whatever you haven’t told me yet.”

Jeff took a drink of his coffee, then set the mug down and looked Jensen in the eye.  “The crest belongs to Gordon Walker’s pack.”

18.

Jensen stood in the doorway to the master bedroom, watching Jared sleep.  He looked so peaceful, and Jensen was loath to do anything to upset that, at least for the moment.  He knew he’d have to tell Jared about Gordon’s possible involvement, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

Gordon Walker was a loose cannon.  He was the alpha of a small but vicious pack.  No one knew for sure just how many members there were, but it was estimated to be about seventy five.  Gordon was in his late forties, young for a were.  He’d been kicked out of the pack he’d grown up in when he was in his early twenties.  Again, no one knew the full story, but it was rumored that he’d forced himself on a beta, and then killed her family after they’d lodged a complaint with the pack’s Alpha.

Gordon took in the outcasts, the amoral, the arrogant.  Packs in the United States abided by a set of general laws, and each pack had at least two delegates who met as a group at least twice a year to resolve any conflicts and address any concerns.  Gordon’s pack didn’t participate.  They lived like a human militia, but were far more deadly because they were so strong and stealthy.  Gordon indoctrinated his pack, his followers, to believe that he was some kind of messiah and that it was his mission to create a pack of the strongest, most intelligent weres in the world.  They shunned all human contact, and only interacted with other packs when it was absolutely necessary.

He, Steve, and Jeff had pulled out a map and found Gordon’s pack’s land, and then the land of the three packs that had been eradicated.  Now that they had an idea of what they were looking for, the connection was somewhat obvious.

The first pack to have been attacked bordered Gordon’s territory to the east, and the second bordered the first pack to the first pack’s east.  Jared’s pack land had bordered Gordon’s land to the west.  Gordon’s land wasn’t easily defined since he refused to participate with the council, but when all four were marked out on a map the three men could see that Gordon was looking to expand, and he was taking out the smaller packs first.

Jensen knew that if it truly was Gordon who had taken out Jared’s that it would have been brutal.   His pack reveled in violence and domination, and Jensen cringed at the thought of what Jared must have seen when he’d returned home from his errands.  Honestly, the three packs were lucky that they’d all been killed, and that some of them hadn’t been claimed to be a part of Gordon’s pack.  Jensen knew enough to know that death would be preferable to being forced to live under Gordon’s rule.

Jensen pushed off the doorway and slid into bed behind Jared, pulling him into his arms.

“I was wondering if you were going to get in here, or if you were just going to stand there and watch me sleep all afternoon, you creeper,” Jared muttered.

Jensen laughed and resolved to do anything he had to do to keep his mate safe.


	3. Chapter 3

19.

A month later and they were no closer to proving that it had been Walker’s pack who had killed the others.  They’d sent both official and unofficial requests to the pack asking for face-to-face meetings or at least some form of communication, but they’d all gone unanswered.  Delegations had also been sent to the sites of the three massacres looking for evidence that may have been missed the first time around, but they’d found nothing incriminating.

The school year had resumed and Jared was enjoying his job at the library.  Jensen didn’t let him go anywhere alone, but at the library his bodyguard stayed well out of the way, and Jared was able to feel a bit of freedom.

Once the kids got over being intimidated by Jared’s sheer size, they all seemed to love him.  He’d been able to ‘hire’ two high school volunteers to help him for an hour each, each day.  Interested students had had to submit a resume and go through an interview; it gave them some real world experience, and Jared had been pleasantly surprised by how many had applied. 

He chose Colin to assist him from 9-10 each morning, and Bethany, a human girl in her junior year, to help him from 1-2 each afternoon.   Jared had been very excited to learn that the public schools in Jefferson were integrated, and he came home each night full of stories to share with Jensen.

Jared did have one problem at work.  Well, it wasn’t really a problem, but it was something that bothered him.  He felt silly about it, and hadn’t shared his concern with Jensen, not wanting to seem dramatic or even needier than he already felt like he was to his mate.  He was used to people liking him, or at the very least being polite to him, and when someone didn’t or wasn’t, he wanted to know why so that he could fix it.

Brock Kelly was a senior at Jefferson High, and he was responsible for distributing in-school mail; he wound up making deliveries to Jared two to three times each week.  The first few times Jared didn’t pay much attention to him as he was busy settling in, but as the weeks wore on it was impossible to ignore the teen’s hostility.  At first Jared attributed it to the fact that Brock was an obviously dominant alpha, and he was just awkward with discovering how to interact, but it wasn’t long before it became apparent that it was much more personal than that.

The first time Jared had been sitting at his desk, and he’d smiled when Brock came in and held out his hand for the mail.  Brock scowled at him, and dropped the mail on the desk, turning away without uttering a single word.  The next time had been much the same, but Brock had very purposely lain the mail precariously on the edge of the desk so that some of it slid onto the floor and then turned and walked out.    The next time Brock was a bit earlier than usual, and Colin was on-duty.  Jared hung back, curious to see how Brock would treat him. 

Brock handed Colin the mail with a smile, and asked how he was enjoying working in the library.  Colin blushed and stuttered out an answer, and Jared readied himself to step in when Brock started ridiculing him, but Brock had just smiled and wished Colin a good day, giving him a corny wink before leaving.  Jared waited a few moments and then asked Colin as casually as he could about Brock.

Colin instantly blushed again, “Um…he’s, he’s a senior.  He’s new.  Don’t really know where he came from, but he’s living here with his grandparents.”

“What about the rest of his family?”

“Well, I’m not positive, it’s just a rumor, but I heard that he got in a lot of trouble and his parents kicked him out and made him come here to finish school.”  Colin looked up at Jared in alarm, “But I mean, he’s totally nice and cool and I don’t think that’s true at all.  I shouldn’t be spreading gossip.” Then obviously realizing that he was babbling, he snapped his mouth shut.

Jared did his very best not to laugh at how adorable the kid was, “Man, it’s not a big deal; I was just curious.  Why don’t you finish up the reshelving.”

That was interesting.  Brock was very nice to Colin, so it wasn’t that he thought he was above all betas.  Even though Jared was a beta and Brock an alpha, Jared was his elder, and the mate of one of the pack Alpha’s sons and that automatically afforded him some respect.  Jared puzzled over it, and tried not to let it get to him too much.

20.

Christmas came and went and Jared had gotten over being concerned about Brock’s disrespect.  He’d certainly noted it on the boy’s evaluation, but other than that he didn’t give it much thought anymore.  Ignoring each other had become the status quo, and Jared was okay with that.

It was an unremarkable Thursday morning in February that things changed.  There had been no movement on the Walker situation and while it was frustrating, Jared was also a bit relieved.  Colin didn’t show up at 9:00 like he was supposed to, and the high school hadn’t called to say that he wouldn’t be there.  By 9:20 Jared was concerned; it wasn’t like Colin to just not show up.  He called the high school office and was told that they’d look into it and get back to him.  Jared tried Colin’s cell and home numbers himself, but there wasn’t an answer at either.

Brock showed up with the mail and Jared was so distracted that he didn’t pay him any attention, assuming that the kid would just throw the mail on the desk and leave without a word as he usually did.  However, after a few seconds Jared looked up to find that Brock was still standing there, glare on his face, mail in his hand.

“I have your mail, _Mr. Padalecki_ ,” he sneered.

Jared sighed, and said wearily, “Just put it on the desk Mr. Kelly.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, _beta_ , I was told to hand deliver this.”

“Fine, just give it here  Brock.”

Brock handed a single envelope over with inexplicable glee.  “You’re gonna wanna open that sooner rather than later.”

Jared looked at Brock, nonplused, “What’s going on?”

Instead of answering him, Brock took a look around the library.  “No little Colin today?  Kinda unlike him to just not show up.”

Jared’s blood ran cold, and dread washed through him, “How do you-“

“See ya later, _sir_ ,” and with that he sauntered out of the library.

Jared glanced over at Kyle, his security man during school hours, but Kyle was engrossed in something on his iPad.  Brock had been obnoxious and menacing, but he’d kept his voice low.  With shaking hands, Jared tore open the blank envelope and took out the single sheet of paper.

            Mr. Padalecki,

You and I have some unresolved business to attend to.  I was going to simply extend an invitation, but I thought perhaps you’d need a little incentive.  By now I’m sure you’ve realized that your little assistant, Colin, isn’t there.  Mr. Kelly has filled me in on just how much you like Mr. Ford, and that you’re likely to do anything to have him returned to his pack unharmed.  

I think it will be poetic to resolve our situation where it started; I’m sure you know where I’m referring.  You need to come alone, and you need to get here as quickly as possible.  If you aren’t here by this evening, or if you tell anyone what’s going on, Colin, well let’s just say that Colin will be wishing I’d simply killed him, and what you’ve gone through up to now will be like a walk in the park.

See you soon, Jared,

Gordon Walker

21.

Jared felt frozen in place, even though his mind was whirling.  His instinct was to call Jensen, but then he thought about Colin, and the carnage he’d come home to so many months ago.  If there was any way he could spare Colin and his family, and his new pack then he had to take it.  He had to think, and quickly.

He grabbed his phone and pretended to make a call as he made his way over to Kyle.

“Yeah Jensen, I’m just going to head home.  I’ll see you tonight.  No, no I’ll be fine.”  He ended his fake call, and gave Kyle a grimace. 

“Hey, man, I’m not feeling well at all,” Jared said.  It wasn’t that much of a lie, since he was terrified and sick to his stomach.  “Could you cover the library for a bit?  I’m going to get the office to send someone down to cover and I’m going to head home.”

“I don’t know, Jared.  I really should stay with you.”

“I know, but man I feel like I’m going to puke any minute,” at that Kyle leaned back a little, “and I just talked to Jensen.  He knows I’m heading home.  I dropped him off this morning so I have the car.  I’m going to call him as soon as I get home, and he’ll have Jeff drop him off as soon as he can.”

Kyle still looked a little uncertain, but when Jared grabbed his middle and groaned a bit, he seemed to make up his mind.  “Jensen really said it was okay?”  Jared nodded.  “Okay, then.  I’ll just hang out here until the sub shows up.  Hope you’ll feel better.”

Jared thanked him and headed for the office, where he explained the situation to the secretary.  He got in Jensen’s SUV, thankful that it was one of the rare days that Jensen had to be at his office before Jared, leaving Jared with the car.  He drove home as quickly as he could, and once he got there he grabbed his phone charger and a couple of bottles of water, and he scribbled Jensen a note.

                Jensen,

Brock Kelly delivered this note to me this morning.  I’m sorry; I know that I should call you, but I can’t put Colin or you, or any of the pack in danger anymore than I already have.  By the time you get this, it will probably be too late to save me, but I’m hoping that I can make sure Colin is safe.  There’s a trap door under the desk in the office in our old municipal building.  I’m going to try to get Colin hidden there, somehow.

Please know how much I love you.  I know you’ll be angry with me, and I understand.  I just hope that you’ll someday be able to understand why I have to do this.  You gave me back life and a home when I thought all was lost.  I love you so much, Jensen.

Jared

p.s. Don’t blame Kyle.

Jared taped the note to the refrigerator and headed to a place that he’d hoped he’d never have to see again.

22.

The 911 came in to dispatch only about fifteen minutes after Jared left town. 

“911, what is your emergency?”

“My son, my son was kidnapped!  Please-“

“Sir, take a deep breath.  How do you know that he was kidnapped?”

“The doorbell rang, and when I answered it, some punk hit me, knocked me down, kicked me, hit me over the head with something.  I don’t know.  I passed out.  I think he must have thought I was dead.  I just woke up and my son is gone, there’s blood on his bedroom door, and when I called the school, they said that he’s not there.  Please, you have to find him!”

“Sir, what’s your son’s name?”

“Colin Ford.”

+++

The dispatcher sent cars to both Colin’s home and the high school.  The officers at the high school were told that Colin hadn’t been to any of his classes that day, starting with his time at the elementary school library, working for Jared Padalecki.

The officers headed to the elementary school to talk to Jared, only to find that he’d gone home sick, and that his replacement didn’t know anything about Colin.  The officers knew who Jared was, and weren’t sure if they should bother Jared at home if he was ill, so they called Steve for direction.  Steve immediately felt like something was wrong.  He sent the officers to the Jared and Jensen’s house with strict orders to find Jared, even if they had to force their way inside.  He then called Jensen, who knew nothing about Jared being sick. 

Jensen had been with Jeff in Jeff’s office when Steve called, and Jeff was on his feet with his car keys in hand before Jensen even finished the call.  They raced to Jeff’s car, and once on the road Jensen called Jared but got no answer, so then he called Kyle.

“Hey, alpha, how’s Jared?”

“Kyle, isn’t Jared with you?”

“Uh, no sir.  He went home sick.”

“And you didn’t go with him?”

“No, sir.  He was on the phone with you, and he told me you said it was okay for him to drive himself home.”

“Shit!  He wasn’t on the phone with me.  I haven’t spoken with him since he dropped me off at my office.  Did anything happen this morning?”

“No, nothing at all unusual, other than him getting sick.”

“When did he leave?”

“A little before ten.  I’m really sorry, al-“

Jensen disconnected the call, and told his brother to drive faster.

23.

Jensen’s house was surrounded by police cars when he and Jeff pulled up.  Steve met Jensen at the door, and told him that Jared wasn’t there, and that Jensen’s SUV was also missing.  Then Steve handed Jensen the notes from the refrigerator. 

Jensen first read Jared’s note to him, and then Gordon’s note to Jared, and when he was done he was literally shaking with rage. 

“Where would he have gone to meet him, Jensen?”

“Jared’s pack land, it’s the only option.”

“Then we’d better get going.”

Jensen got in Steve’s squad car with him, Jeff joining them at the last minute.  Four other police cars followed them out of town.  Jensen continued to try to get through to Jared on his cell, but it just went straight to voice mail.

Finally, Jeff broke the silence, “What I don’t understand is why Gordon admitted to what he’d done.  He has to know that we’d find out.  We had nothing solid to pin him to any of the three packs, but now…It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Jensen stared out the window, not taking in any of the scenery passing him by.  “I get it.  I know Gordon a little bit.  Not well, but he tried to recruit me a couple of years ago.”

“What?”  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Steve and Jeff said at the same time.

Jensen gave a humorless laugh, “There wasn’t much to tell, really.  I’d gone to Kansas City to sit in on some boring council meeting.  Gordon cornered me outside a bar one night, convinced me to have a few drinks with him.  I was bored and curious.  And stupid.”

Jeff snorted, but Jensen ignored him, “We had a few drinks and he tried to convince me that my family didn’t value me, that I was second in command and would never have any real power.  He went on and on, every clichéd argument he could think of, and a few that, well, were just downright scary.  I told him to fuck off, that he was crazy and that I wanted nothing to do with him or his pack.  He did a one-eighty then, called me an elitist, a traitor to our kind.  Said that he wouldn’t want some second-in-line fag in his pack anyway.  I got up and walked out, but he followed me, and tied to start a fight.  Thankfully, he was alone, and I laid him out and kept walking.”

“I’ve seen him twice since then, nothing recently, since Jared…”  Jensen’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat.  “I haven’t seen Gordon since we found Jared.  But before, both times that I saw him he threatened me, told me that I’d made a mistake and on and on.”

“You should have told me.  Told someone.  Jensen…”

“I know Jeff, but I just didn’t take him seriously at the time.  But like I said, I know him a bit, and when I say he’s crazy, I mean he’s seriously screwed in the head.  I’m sure he sees this as a way to tie up the loose end that Jared is to him, and to hurt me and force a confrontation.  If he can take me out, can show that he’s a superior were, at least in his mind, then I’ll bet he thinks that he can gain more followers, more land, the whole deal.  He’s never been too concerned with any kind of law.”

They drove and drove, lights flashing and sirens going, only stopping once to refuel.  Steve radioed ahead and had other agencies on the lookout for Jared and Jensen’s SUV, but he remained elusive.  It was fully dark when they got to Jared’s former pack’s land.  There were eight others besides Jensen, Jeff, and Steve, and they were all weres.  They huddled over a map of the territory for a few minutes, and then liberally doused themselves with scent dampener. 

They decided that two of the officers would stay at the cars, radios ready.  Steve argued that they needed more backup, but Jensen disagreed.  He was certain that Gordon would only have a few weres with him.  Gordon didn’t trust anyone, and Jensen knew that he’d want to take care of Jared himself.  Jeff, Steve, Jensen and three of the other officers shifted and took off toward the small village, the other two following in human form.  Jensen prayed that they weren’t too late.


	4. Chapter 4

24.

Jared pulled up next to the little cabin that he and his father had built.  He looked around, but didn’t see anything, so he got out and began the short walk into the village.  He looked at the screen of his phone, taking in the thirty two missed calls from Jensen.  He wanted Jensen there with him so badly, but he didn’t see any way around facing Gordon Walker alone.  He muted the phone, and shoved it in his back pocket.

Jared rounded a corner and headed toward the center of the little village.  He was almost to the municipal building when Gordon stepped outside. 

“Well, well, well.  I wasn’t sure that you’d have the guts to show up, Padalecki.”

“Where’s Colin?”

“What?  No ‘hello’ or ‘how’re you doing?’”

“Where.  Is.  Colin?”

Gordon turned toward the doorway, “Bring the kid out.”

A short, stocky man pushed Colin outside, sending him to his hands and knees.  Jared rushed to him, and when the man tried to stop him, Gordon told him to wait.  “Let him check on his little pet; see that we didn’t do too much to hurt him.  Yet.”

Jared dropped to his knees next to Colin, and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders, running them down to his hands.  Colin had a black eye and a bloody, split lip but otherwise he seemed okay.  Terrified, but okay. 

As surreptitiously as possible, Jared pressed a slip of paper into Colin’s hand.  “Colin?  Are you okay?”

Colin gripped the paper, and then shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.  “I’m…I’m okay.  My Dad?”

Jared had no idea about Colin’s dad, but he knew that he had to give the boy some hope.  “He’s fine.  Waiting for you to get home.  You didn’t have to get kidnapped just to get out of school you know.”

Colin smiled a little.

“Well, this is really heartwarming, but I’ve had all the sharing and caring I can take.  Peter, take the kid back inside and lock him in the office.”

“You said you’d let him go if I came,” Jared hissed, glaring at Gordon as Peter manhandled Colin back inside.

“I lied.”

Peter returned momentarily.  “Is he secure?”

“Yeah, boss.  The office has one window, but it’s barred and locked, and I locked the door from outside.  Kid ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

Jared was relieved, but he tried his best not to show it.  It was nearly impossible to find the trapdoor under the desk in the office, but he had faith that Colin could do it.  The note that he’d passed to him not only told him to hide there, but also told him where the key to the window and bars was.  If Colin opened the window and then hid, hopefully Gordon would think that he’d escaped out the through it.  At least something was going right he thought as Peter roughly cuffed Jared’s hands behind his back.

“You only brought one other guy with you?” Jared said tauntingly.  If he could keep Gordon talking, maybe…well, he wasn’t really sure.  If his plan worked Jensen would be on the road, but still hours away.  Either way, Jared felt it was best to keep Gordon talking.

“I don’t need anyone else here.  I plan to take out you and the kid all on my own.”

“You need to let Colin go.  He’s no match for you, or your thug.  He’s just a kid.”

“He’s weak, just like you.  Our kind need only the strong.  I’m doing weres all over the world a favor by getting rid of you two and those like you.”

“You’re delusional.”

Gordon backhanded Jared, snapping his head to the side and causing him to stumble and fall to his knees.  Blood dripped from his nose into his mouth, and his ears rang.  “Really?” he asked as he spit blood onto the ground.  “You’re going to kill me, a beta, while my hands are cuffed behind my back?”

“Nah, that’s mostly just for fun.  We’re going to sit here and wait for your alpha to show up.”

“If Jensen even does show up, how do you know that he won’t come with an army?  If you’re going to kill me, just do it now and take off.”

“No, I don’t think so.  Your mate wouldn’t have time to organize a large group; he’ll be too hell bent on getting here to save his precious beta.  I can handle him.  Besides, I have a few others here to help me.”

Jared froze at that.  He’d really thought that it was just Gordon and Peter, but he knew he shouldn’t be surprised.  Gordon was crazy, but he wasn’t stupid. 

There wasn’t a lot to say after that, and even though Jared tried to engage Gordon in conversation, he was ignored.  After about a half an hour, Gordon started to pace and mutter to himself. 

++++

Jensen and the other wolves came to a stop a few meters back into the tree line and waited a few moments for the two not shifted to catch up.  When they were all together, they made a plan to split up and surround the village, attempting to get as much information about the situation as possible, and then meet up again on the opposite side.  Each had a specific thing they were looking for, and they all moved with stealth and focus.

When they met up again, they shared what they’d learned and came up with a crude plan.  They knew that Jared, Gordon, and another guy were in front of the municipal building.  They’d also noticed movement in three other buildings, so they knew there were at least three more hidden in the village. 

Jeff quickly consulted with Jensen and Steve, and then quickly shifted laid out their plan, “Jensen, Steve, and I are going to confront Gordon.”  He instructed each of the other three to check the buildings that showed movement.  He ordered one of the unshifted officers to shift and stand-by, ready to jump in where needed.  The final member of their group was to radio the two left back at the car, and tell them to call in the local were authorities.  Those two would then shift and come to assist, leaving the last unshifted were to stay hidden outside the village and keep in radio contact with the authorities who were on their way.

Jensen and Steve had shifted and gotten dressed while Jeff was giving instructions.  The shifted weres set out, and after giving them a few moments head start, Jensen, Steve, and Jeff set off toward Gordon.  It wasn’t long before they were spotted.

Gordon stood up from the step he’d been sitting on, and stretched, the picture of nonchalance, “There you are.  I was hoping you’d get here soon.”

“Where is Jared?”

“No time for pleasantries, Jensen?”

Jensen growled, and Gordon laughed, “Pete, bring Mr. Ackles’ mate out please.”  The door to the municipal building opened, and Jared was roughly pushed outside.  His hands were tied behind his back, and he was gagged.  A short, stocky man, Pete Jensen presumed, followed closely, a sharp, lethal-looking knife held in his hand.

Jensen took a step toward him, growling again as he took in the blood on Jared’s face, but Jeff held him back.

“Better listen to big brother,” Gordon taunted, while signaling to Pete.  Pete knocked Jared down onto his knees, and then stepped directly behind him, holding the knife to his throat.

“Jared?  Are you okay?”

Jared nodded, so relieved to see Jensen that he could barely breath.

“And Colin?  Is he here, is he okay, too?”

Jared once again nodded, and tried to signal with his eyes that Colin was in the building behind him. 

“I think that’s enough catching up for now.  Let’s take care of business.”

Jeff stepped forward so that he was a bit in front of both Jensen and Steve.  Each of them quickly turned their heads to the west as a howl and then a loud scuffle could be heard.  Gordon smiled, “I see you’ve brought along some assistance.  My boys will keep them occupied, so let’s not lose focus.”

Jeff gave a disgusted snort, “You hand over Jared and the kid, and I won’t let Jensen kill you.”

Gordon laughed, a look of delight on his face, “That doesn’t sound like any fun at all.  Here’s my counter: I kill your little brother while you all watch.  Shouldn’t take too long for my boys to dispose of the help you brought along, and when they get here, we’ll kill Jared and the kid, and take you and blondie over there back to our land.  I’ll use you as leverage, and I’ll let my boys do what they will with blondie as a reward for a job well done.”

“Gordon, you certainly have a vivid imagination, I’ll give you that,” Jeff laughed.  “Really, I should fight you, as I’m the heir to my pack, but there’s no way that I’m going to take the pleasure of killing you away from my brother.  You fight him, and when he wins, well, it really won’t matter to you what happens after that, will it?”

Gordon growled; he didn’t like being mocked.  “We’ll see who comes out on top.  Pete!  Keep your eye on the beta; if anyone tries to jump in to help little Jensen, then you slit Jared’s throat, then take care of the kid.”

Pete nodded in understanding, but he was looking a little green, as if realizing for the first time that maybe he was on the wrong side.

Jensen walked up to Jeff, “No matter what happens, you get Jared out of here safely.”

Jeff nodded, and patted Jensen on the shoulder.  Jensen turned to Gordon and shifted immediately, not bothering to remove any of his clothes first, lunging at Gordon who jumped back in surprise.  Jensen was able to bite into Gordon’s forearm just a second before he was thrown off as Gordon shifted.

The two wolves were equal in size, both well muscled and sleek.  They circled each other, snapping and growling as they sized each other up.  At the same time, fighting could be heard for other places in the village, and Jeff hoped that they hadn’t underestimated the amount of help Gordon would have brought along with him.

Jensen and Gordon lunged, biting and head butting each other repeatedly.  It went on for several minutes without either wolf taking the upper hand.  Pete’s eyes were locked on his Alpha, and he’d unconsciously relaxed the hand which was holding the knife.  Steve tried several times to get Jared’s attention, but Jared’s eyes wouldn’t leave his mate’s form.

There was a loud, pained yip from Jensen as Gordon tore a chunk of flesh from his side.  Jared looked away quickly as tears filled his eyes.  When he looked back up, he caught Steve’s eye.  Steve motioned to Jared throw himself down when Steve leapt forward.  After Jared indicated that he understood, Steve turned back to the fight.

Both wolves were bloody and limping, but it looked like Gordon had the upper hand, at least momentarily.  Steve waited until the two were once again locked in battle, and then motioned to Jared, who threw himself to the side, while Steve raced toward Pete.  Pete didn’t have time to react before Steve snapped his neck.

Steve quickly untied and ungagged Jared, who lurched to his feet.  It was only Jeff’s restraint that kept Jared from joining Jensen in his fight.  Jared started to protest, but Jeff quickly silenced him, “Jared!  Quiet!  Jensen ca not afford to be distracted right now.”

Steve rejoined them, as did two of the other wolfs from the Ackles pack.  Sirens could be heard in the distance.  Jensen and Gordon both looked up at the sound, and Jensen’s eyes caught on Jared.  He let out a soft woof of acknowledgement. 

That small hesitation allowed Gordon to plow into his side, the side that he’d viciously bitten earlier.  Jensen was thrown off his feet, and crashed down with a whimper, going still.  Gordon was on him again immediately, baring his fangs as he went in for the kill. 

As was always one of Gordon’s mail flaws, he overestimated himself, and underestimated his opponent.  If he’d truly been paying attention, he would have realized that Jensen was not actually unconscious, but just waiting for Gordon to strike.  Gordon bore down on Jensen, but at the last second, Jensen surged up, tearing out Gordon’s throat in one bite, and killing him instantly.

Jensen slowly pushed himself to his feet, and began limping toward his mate.  Jared jerked from Jeff’s hold and ran toward Jensen, but just before he got there, Jensen’s eyes went wide and he collapsed, a pool of blood underneath him.

**Epilogue**

Jared stepped out of the kitchen into the back yard carrying a tray with lunch on it.  He set it down on the patio table, and stomped over to his mate. 

“Jensen!  What are you doing?!”

Jensen looked up from where he was wrestling on the ground with Jace and Jesse.  All three tried their best to look innocent, but Jared wasn’t buying it.

“We’re just playing, Uncle Jared,” Jace said with a grin.

Jared sighed, “You and your brother can play all you want, but your Uncle Jensen needs-“

“Your Uncle Jensen is just fine,” Jensen cut him off, earning him a glare from his mate.  “Seriously, Jared, I’m fine.  We’re just playing a little.”

“I just want to make sure you’re okay,” Jared said quietly.

Jensen smiled at him, then turned to the boys, “Go inside and wash your hands boys, then tell Colin to put down the video game and come join us for lunch.”

Once the boys were on their way, Jensen took Jared into his arms, “I’m fine, I promise.”

Jared blinked his eyes, trying to fight off the tears.  He was not going to cry again, damnit.  He cleared his throat, “I know.  I know that, it’s just, it’s going to take some time for me to get the image of you…of what happened out of my head.”

It had been touch and go for almost two weeks after the fight.  Jensen had been in and out of consciousness, but never coherent enough for actual conversation.  Jared had stayed by his side most of the time, only leaving for short bits when Jensen’s mother had ordered him to eat or get some sleep.  Jeff had ordered him out a time or two as well, but he wasn’t nearly as nice about it as his mother.  “Gross!  Go take a shower, Jared.  Jensen’s probably staying out of it just to avoid your stench!”

Gordon, Pete, and one other of Gordon’s pack had been killed in the village; another had died a few hours later from his injuries.  They’d rounded up three more, and they were being held in jail awaiting trial.  Gordon’s entire pack was under a type of house arrest; none of them allowed to leave their pack land until the authorities sorted the whole mess out.

The Ackles pack had fared much better; a few broken bones, and cuts and bruises that had healed quickly.  Colin was still dealing with the trauma he’d gone through, and he’d taken to spending a lot of his free time hanging out with Jared.  Brock Kelly had skipped town, and the police were still looking for him.

The fight had been six weeks ago, and once Jensen had woken up and been sent home, Jared had been mother henning him until sometimes Jensen thought that Jared was worse than his actual mother.  He understood though.  Seeing Jensen’s lifeless body would have been bad enough, but seeing him where Jared had found his pack slaughtered was almost more than he could take.  So, he put up with Jared’s overbearing nursing with as much patience as possible.  Truth be told, he kind of liked having his mate’s undivided attention.

“I know baby, but we’re going to get through this. I love you so much,” Jensen whispered as he slid his hand to the back of Jared’s neck, bringing their lips together.

“Eww!  Gross!” rang out from the deck and Jesse and Jace came back outside and saw their uncles kissing. 

Jared and Jensen broke apart with laughter.

“Now, you get in there and wash your hands, too and then come eat,” Jared said, giving Jensen a little slap on the butt.

Colin had joined Jace and Jesse at the table, and he grinned, “I thought you were the alpha here, Mr. Ackles!” he teased.

Jensen grabbed Colin in a headlock, and rubbed his knuckles over the top of his head while the twins screeched with delight.  Jared watched with amusement, thankful as ever that he’d been given a second chance.


End file.
